Anglo Leasing Scandal -Passport equipment system from France quoted at 6 million Euros, tender awarded to a British firm, the Anglo-Leasing at 30 million Euros, who would have sub-contracted the same French firm to do the work…occured in 2005

Grand Regency where the CBK alleged to have secretly sold a luxury hotel in Nairobi to an unidentified group of Libyan investors for more than Sh 4 billion below the appraised market value. Safaricom IPO was praised and questioned for possible corruption in the execution of the sale….Erupted in June 2008

In January 2009, a scandal became public over the sale of imported maize. The 2009 Triton Oil Scandal regarding the unauthorized releasing of oil by Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) without informing financiers.

In October 2012, allegations surfaced that top Foreign Affairs ministry officials ignored land offered by Japan that could have saved the country loss of Sh1.1 billion.

Since then we have had NYS scandal, chicken gate scandal, land grabbing, bias tender allocation and even elected leader misusing their power to harass the public.

This is just but a few examples of many scandals that have happened in our nation. Every day we have someone plotting to misuse or to corrupt the public of its fund. This has become the norm in all sectors of the government and private sector.

We become so vocal when politician are involved and close our eyes when we are involved in petty corruption.

What are the costs of corruption?

According to Transparent International corruption impacts our nation in a multitude of ways even costing lives. It cost us our freedom, health or money.

It is a major obstacle to democracy and the rule of law. In a democratic system, offices and institutions lose their legitimacy when they’re misused for private advantage. It depletes national wealth.

Corrupt politicians invest scarce public resources in projects that will line their pockets rather than benefit communities, and priorities high-profile projects such as dams, power plants, pipelines and refineries over less spectacular but more urgent infrastructure projects such as schools, hospitals and roads.

Corruption also hinders the development of fair market structures and distorts competition, which in turn deters investment. It corrodes the social fabric of society. It undermines people’s trust in the political system, in its institutions and its leadership.

From the above we can then agree that corruption is disease and we ought to fight it without exception.

Transparent International suggests building partnerships, proceed step-by-step and stay non-confrontational as three ways to fight it. Only when business and civil society work together and develop standards and procedures they all support can we fight it.

Related

About the Author

Trust is my currency, biscuits are my best snacks. A business story by me that has sparked change, informed and made a positive difference is what makes me going. I yearn to achieve more through writing
Reach me via editor@biznews.co.ke

Twitter Updates

Be the first to know

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.